ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - For the second consecutive year, the UCF women's tennis team has been honored by the NCAA for its Academic Progress Rate (APR). Joining the women's tennis team in earning an NCAA Public Recognition Award this year is the Knights' volleyball program.

The NCAA gives APR Public Recognition Awards to teams with a multi-year APR score in the top 10 percent for their sport. UCF's women's tennis team was the first to ever receive this award last year, posting a perfect APR multi-year average of 1000. Head coach Stephanie Nickitas' program maintained that perfect score for another year to earn the distinction once again this year.

"We have always placed a high level of emphasis on our team's academic goals and we are very proud of this recognition," Nickitas said. "Many people contribute to success in this area besides the coaching staff. This is a testament to the hard work of our student-athletes and our academic support staff of Margaret Dann and Kimya Massey."

The volleyball program has also put together a perfect 1000 multi-year APR average. Head coach Todd Dagenais credits the culture at UCF for his team's success in the classroom.

"The system in place at UCF has fostered an environment for our team to be recognized among the nation's elite in the category of academics," Dagenais said. "This is a tribute to the student-athlete support system and an administration that make the resources available for athletes to graduate. Our leadership has created an academic culture that has been fully embraced by each and every member of our volleyball squad."

The APR provides a snapshot look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance. The most recent APR numbers are multi-year rates based on scores from the 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 academic years.